NBA:
In the NBA, Miami topped New York 98-81, Dallas beat Minnesota 128-101, Atlanta won against Charlotte 87-76, Orlando bested Philadelphia 130-116, Portland defeated Indiana 111-102, and it was Detroit over Minnesota 128-101.
NHL:
In the NHL, Tampa Bay bested Boston 4-1, Edmonton beat the Islanders 3-1, St. Louis won against Carolina 5-2, San Jose topped Vancouver 4-1, Anaheim doubled up Los Angeles 4-2, Chicago edged Washington 3-2, and it was Minnesota over Florida 3-1.
The New York Rangers have acquired Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal in a trade. In exchange for Staal, the Hurricanes acquired center Aleksi Saarela, who is currently playing in his native Finland, and New York's second-round selections in each of the next two drafts.
NCAA:
In college men’s basketball, Siena beat Quinnipiac 80-65 yesterday in a regular-season finale. Nico Clareth scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half when Siena built an 18-point lead and cruised to its 20th win. Abdulai Bundu scored 14 points for Quinnipiac, who have lost three straight.
Houston improved its NCAA resume with a 75-68 win over UConn yesterday. Damyean Dotson scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Houston. Daniel Hamilton had 20 points and seven rebounds for UConn, which had won three of its four previous games.
MLB:
Free agent shortstop Ian Desmond has finally found a new team. A baseball official with knowledge of the deal says Desmond has agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rangers and will sign once he passes a physical. Desmond had spent his seven-year major league career with the Washington Nationals, hitting .264 with 110 home runs, 432 RBIs and 122 stolen bases. He hit 19 homers and drove in 62 runs last year while compiling a career-worst .233 average.
Also in the majors:
— The Blue Jays have signed former All-Star closer Rafael Soriano, who posted a 6.35 ERA in six games with the Chicago Cubs. Soriano last pitched a full major league season in 2014, going 4-1 with 32 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 64 games for the Nationals.
— Veteran infielder Juan Uribe has formally signed a one-year contract with the Indians and will most likely start the season as the Tribe's third baseman. Uribe has a .256 batting average with 192 home runs with six teams over 15 big league seasons.
— The Dodgers have announced that Clayton Kershaw will be their opening-day pitcher for the sixth straight year. Kershaw was 16-7 last season with a 2.13 ERA and 301 strikeouts.
Red Sox manager John Farrell says left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez had an MRI yesterday after he injured his right knee during workouts on Saturday. Farrell says there isn't any structural damage. He says right now the plan is for Rodriguez to undergo treatment for swelling.
Ruben Amaro Jr. may be in the same business, but he's made quite a job change. Fired as Philadelphia's general manager last September, the former major leaguer is back on the field as Boston's first base coach. He says the switch is, "Pretty dramatically different."
NFL:
Former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis apparently wants to end his retirement. A person with knowledge of the decision says Davis plans to file for reinstatement after he retired in June last year following a head injury. Davis had always left open the possibility of returning to the Niners after sitting out a year to get healthy.
NASCAR:
Jimmie Johnson has climbed up NASCAR's all-time victory list by taking the second race of the Sprint Cup season. Johnson used pit strategy and a late yellow to claim the 76th victory of his career at Atlanta Motor Speedway, tying Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the career wins list. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, followed by Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards.
PGA:
Adam Scott closed with an even par 70 to win the PGA's Honda Classic. Scott ended a 33-month winless drought on the tour by finishing play at 9-under, one shot in front of Sergio Garcia. Blayne Barber and Justin Thomas tied for third at minus-5.
Fantasy Sports:
The daily fantasy sports debate is raging in state capitols across the country. About 30 legislatures are considering different proposals, roughly double last year's total. Many of the bills are variations of an industry-backed proposal criticized by the National Council on Problem Gambling and others as too vague.
FIFA:
Citigroup says it has received a subpoena from federal prosecutors over its possible involvement in the FIFA bribery scandal, the first large U.S. bank to receive such a notice from investigators. Citigroup disclosed the subpoena in a regulatory filing late Friday, saying it is cooperating with investigators in the matter.
When they announced charges against high-level executives of FIFA, world soccer's governing body, last year, federal prosecutors had said several banks, including HSBC and JPMorgan Chase, were used to transfer cash. JPMorgan has not disclosed any investigation.
In the filing, Citi said investors requested information on "banking relationships and transactions at Citibank and its affiliates associated with certain individuals and entities identified as having had involvement with the alleged corrupt conduct." A Citi spokesman declined to comment beyond the filing.
LPGA:
American Lexi Thompson has won her seventh LPGA title by taking the event in Thailand. She closed with a 68 that completed a six-stroke victory over In Gee Chun of South Korea. The 21-year-old Thompson hit an eagle on the 10th to go along with three birdies and a lone bogey for a 20-under-par total of 268 to become the first American winner of the tournament.
Skiing:
The always gutsy Lindsey Vonn was able to take part in an Alpine combined event a day after fracturing her left knee. Wearing braces on both knees, the four-time overall World Cup champion extended her overall World Cup lead by placing 13th in the event.
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